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Friday, 28 September 2012

It's giveaway time at Modern Country Style today. Mi-Septembre are giving away two of these Classique pouches for YOU! One is right here via Modern Country Style, and the other over on Modern Country Style's Facebook page. Both competitions are open to Europe only. A winner will be announced in one week

These Classique pouches are stunningly presented, wrapped in delicate tissue with their own presentation box. Mi-Septembre have combined linen, cinnamon, star anise and the most delicious fragrance you can imagine. All the loveliness of Christmas plus a touch of autumn crispness is how I'd describe it. So scrumptious!

All you have to do to be entered into this competition is to 'Like' Mi-Septembre on Facebook and leave a comment here letting me know.

{To be entered into the second competition, simply visit my Facebook page for details...}

Something I've found pleasantly surprising with my littlies is that they respond fantastically well to the idea of having lovely things in their rooms once they've learnt to keep their space looking mostly presentable.

I make it clear that when they keep their bits and pieces tidy like big girls do {ahem} then...and only then....could they have the big-girls room they were asking for.

Ta-daaaa.......it worked a treat!

Not so much a bribe, rather an incentive, I like to think...

I find The White Company's bedding to be absolutely the best value for money. The quilts, in particular, are beautifully made. Plus they are machine washable, for any accidents that may come my way.

Monday, 24 September 2012

As anyone who's ever had to look after children will tell you, without tidying techniques the kiddiewinks will win the they-make-a-mess-and-you-tidy battle hands-down. I don't want to make out that our house is perfectly ordered at all times: it isn't....but I do want you to know that there are ways to make your life much easier when it comes to keeping on top of the messiness that family life brings....shoes, bags, dirty laundry, toys, books, games, wet towels......the list goes on and on, doesn't it?

Images via BBC

When we first started having children, I soon realised that, unless I wanted to spend my entire life either picking up after the family, or feeling miserable at the mess that might ensue if I didn't, I needed to make sure everyonegot in on the act so that keeping our home shipshape became a family job.

Image via Health

A key part of helping our family run smoothly is building in tidying routines. One of the spin-off benefits, aside from the security of the same-ness that routines build into our children's lives, is that it makes it much less stressful to keep on top of the mess that children seem to magically breed wherever they go.

So, my first tip for keeping on top of children's chaos is this:

Don't Try To Do It On Your Own

Get everyone to help as part of the daily routine....so, for example, when we have our evening meal together, I cook, and the others take it in turns to lay the table, clear the table, load the dishwasher and wipe the surfaces. It works so well, even littlies can get in on the act. When patterns are established for every day, there's never ever moaning. It just becomes part of their world, which makes your job MUCH easier....with more time for the best bits like cuddling and playing and baking and reading together...living the full pleasures of Modern Country life.

Image via: Frugal Law Student

Think about stressful times of your day and see whether building in a routine could help, whether that's first thing after school or bath-time....and do let us know how you get on...

Friday, 21 September 2012

We can't possibly cover all the ins and outs of doing up our girls bedroom without talking about the nitty-gritty of keeping things looking pretty...once the camera turned off, I mean. Let's get real: most likely, those wellies have been entangled in the chandelier in an innocent game of catch, bringing the whole thing crashing down...

{don't tell me you can't see that happening...}

If only the toys that children leave around the house looked like this,

They did go through a rather sad phase of looking terribly dated but, huzzah!, they're back with a vengeance, looking as classic as ever but, the wonderful thing is, they're bigger and better than before.

You can buy sheepskin in a whole range of colours, either dyed or from rare breeds, which can give beautiful fleeces like these:

Sheepskin is so beautifully natural.

It's an easy way to rock the rustic vibe.

If you're looking to add a little more Country to an otherwise Modern space, then sheepskin may just be the answer you're searching for.

And size-wise, the sky's the limit.

Fleeces can be carefully sewn together to create one enormous sheepskin.

Monday, 17 September 2012

It was worth waiting to find the perfect fabric for our girls bedroom. Even if you have a fairly small window, like ours, the right curtains can make a real impact. We chose Cabbages and Roses Hatley in their pink colourway. It was love at first sight. From the moment the parcel arrived, wrapped in delicate tissue paper, to the final hanging of the curtains, Hatley is utterly Country, with this beautiful floral pattern, yet, because of its fairly sparse, monochrome design, utterly Modern all at the same time.

2. Before buying, hold material up to the light.

Don't be fooled by sample books. When your fabric is hanging up, light streaming through the window will change how it appears. You can see from the two photos below (first on an overcast day and the second with glorious sunshine) that this Cabbages and Roses fabric does change a little with sunlight, despite being lined and interlined.

3. Don't skimp on interlining.

Unless you want a deliberately floaty appearance to your curtains, it's absolutely worth forking out for good quality interlining. This is a layer of blanket-like material which is sandwiched between the main fabric and the lining. Interlining creates a feeling of additional richness and weight to the curtains that can't be imitated.

4. Choose lining colour carefully.

Although it may look beautiful from outside your window, if your lining is too bold, it may show through, affecting the appearance of the curtain fabric. Always, always test!

5. Pick good quality blackout lining for bedrooms.

Cheap-as-chips blackout lining is a false economy as it can start to peel, which looks ugly and stops its effectiveness. Not good!

6. Ensure the pattern matches across both curtains.

If your curtains are patterned, make sure the pattern falls at the same position on each curtain. A mis-match would look awful, of course, but a completely precise match is what to aim for.

7. Choose an appropriate header.

We've used a simple metal track here to prevent too much light getting in when the curtains are closed, as it keeps the curtain next to the wall, so we kept the pleat very simple too. This finish is called a pencil pleat but, if you want something fancier, there are plenty of options. In general, the grander the window, and the smarter the pole, the larger the header should be.

8. Add weights to corners.

Another trick for adding a feel of sumptuousness to your curtains is to add purpose-made weights to the corner of each curtain. These are sewn in, so aren't visible, but help the fabric to drape delightfully without pulling.

9. Check how the curtain will look when pushed back.

Curtains spend as much of the time open as they do drawn so remember to see at how your fabric looks when it's fully pleated. In our girls bedroom, Cabbages and Roses Hatley still looks super-pretty when the girls draw the curtains in their bedroom each morning.

10. Tie in your fabric with the rest of the room.

In particular, ask yourself, 'how does it combine with the other soft furnishings?' and 'how does it combine with the walls?' There's no use having gorgeous fabric, if the rest of the room doesn't act as a foil to enhance its loveliness!

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